


Hope

by SunshineShal13



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Brainwashing, Friendship, Gen, Hope, Other, Strength, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27394000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineShal13/pseuds/SunshineShal13
Summary: It's been a year since Cass Newman's city was taken over by aliens. Now, as the only one who hasn't been affected, she's just trying to survive. A chance encounter with the Doctor however, shows her that she doesn't just need to survive, she needs to fight.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been trying to finish this fanfic for a few years now. It's been on fanfiction.net since I started writing it, but I decided to put it on here as well.

The sun was just setting as I peeked out of the abandoned warehouse I was in. I glanced both ways and checked to make sure my gun was on me before I ventured out. This had been my routine for a year. A year since an alien race called the mruksas came to my American town, claiming to be interested in earth culture, but instead had a plan to take over the town. a year since they succeeded, placing everyone under their control, except for me. The one person in that town who'd been the least bit suspicious of their intentions. Honestly, what group of aliens just comes to a town claiming to want to know more about earth culture? Had no one ever seen a sci-fi horror film? You never trust the aliens! Maybe that's why I'd never been affected. Because I was smart enough to not fall for their story. To not listen to their stories on the news or radio. And that's how they got everyone. Subliminal messages. In only a few days, it'd gone from a thriving, creative town, to a post-apocalyptic type world where everyone had lost the spark to be themselves and only follow the aliens. But not me. I refused to be like that.

That's what led me to this life. I couldn't let myself get caught. So, every night, when the curfew was imposed, I snuck out, trying to find whatever food I could get and sneaking into places to take showers. I'd also been trying to research anything I could about who these aliens were and how to stop them. I honestly didn't know why; maybe I was half hoping to stop the aliens myself. But, I couldn't find anything. If I were emotional, I would have cried, but I'd cried out all of my tears. I needed to be tough if I was going to face this. In this past year, I hadn't been able to find anyone else who hadn't been affected. I'd snuck out a few times during the day to see if anyone I knew was fine, but they weren't. They were almost like zombies, forced out of their own free will. All my friends and family that I hadn't had contact with. I'd been running for so long, forced to protect myself just in case they sent someone after me. Part of me thought of giving up. Just turning myself in and just stop resisting and become part of the mindless crowd. But the other part was telling me to be strong. It was telling me to continue to fight. That eventually something would change and that it would go back to the life I had before. I was doubtful, but I was about to find out that listening to that part would lead me to a man who had the answer to stopping these creatures.

I was running , My long hair (I normally kept it short, but due to the circumstances, I hadn't exactly had a chance to get it cut.) flowing behind me. I was being chased by someone. Clearly, the aliens had caught on to fact that I wasn't exactly following their orders and had sent someone after me. Luckily for me, all that running had turned me into a faster runner, so I was able to get away. I turned a corner to hide from the person. Unfortunately for me, there was something in my way as I turned. My foot connected with whatever was there, making my leg give out and my ankle move in a way I didn't think possible. I promptly fell, hissing in pain as I felt my ankle crack. I clenched my teeth as I scooted to the closest place I could sit, which happened to be a big blue box. Normally, I would have been curious about the box, but I wasn't thinking straight. I sat down with a small sigh of relief in front of it and ruffled through my backpack for my first aid kit. Locating a wrap, I attempted to wrap my ankle, but it wasn't working. That's when it happened. I threw the wrap aside in trusted, curled up into a ball and started crying. I knew that it wasn't just because of my ankle. I was crying for my town. I was crying for my friends and family. I just wanted my normal life back. I didn't hear the door to the box that I was sitting in front of open and someone walk out.

"I can't do this anymore." I cried out softly, as I lifted up my head.

"Well, not with that attitude." A cheerful British voice said next to me.

Startled, I turned my head to see a man sitting next to me. He was wearing a brown pinstriped suit under a brown trench coat and beige converse sneakers. He had spiky brown hair and brown eyes that for some reason seemed ancient. But, being alone for so long, had made me weary of everything, and a little less trustworthy. This man could have been one of the aliens for all I knew. I stopped crying and slowly withdrew my gun from my back pocket, and pointed it at him.

"Look." I said with a shaky voice. "If you're gonna take me in, just know I'm not going to come willingly."

He raised his eyebrow. "Well, just to let you know, I really don't like guns." He said, taking the gun from my hand and throwing it aside . "And I'm not here to take you in. I'm here to help."

"Why should I even trust you?" I asked, suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

"Ok, well Doctor whoever you are, I've been on my own for a year. I can't get in touch with any of my family and even if I could, they wouldn't be the same people they were a year ago. They'd probably take me in anyways since they're all under the control of aliens. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of sneaking around. I want my normal life back. Not to mention the fact that my ankle is messed up now thanks to almost being caught. And then you just show up. Seriously, how can you even help?" I said , letting out everything I'd felt since it all started.

"Well, you could ask the other person who's here, but I don't see anyone else other than me." The Doctor said casually.

I sighed. He did have a point. There was no one else and even if there were, it's not like they'd be willing to help. "Fine." I said, still a little bit weary. "I'm not exactly sure if I trust you completely but you are the only one here."

I shifted my ankle a bit and clenched my jaw as a jolt of pain went through it. This was the worst pain I'd ever felt. I'd twisted my ankle many times but not like this. It really did feel like it was broken. I couldn't let the pain show. I was too tough for that. Plus, something could happen. I mean, the Doctor claimed he could help, but the aliens claimed that they just wanted to learn more about earth culture and look what happened there. But as much as I tried to hide the pain, I wasn't doing a very good job. He definitely noticed.

"How's that ankle there?" He asked me.

"It's fine." I lied. But somehow, he could see right through that lie.

"Really?" He asked, barely concealing a smirk. "Why don't you stand, then?"

"Fine, I'll humor you." I said. I got up on my good foot, and then attempted to stand on the other foot, but couldn't. Frustrated, I sat back down again.

"Let me see it." He said gently. He noticed my hesitation. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to see what's going on."

I reluctantly rolled up my pant leg and stretched out my leg wincing a bit. I watched as he pulled something out from his jacket pocket. It appeared to be a silver, cylindrical shaped object with a blue tip. I gasped.

"I knew it!" I squeaked . "You are! You're going to do something to me! Well let me just tell you that I'm not going to come easily!"

"What? No. I'm just checking your ankle!" He said, sounding slightly offended.

"But how?" I asked confused. To demonstrate, he ran whatever that thing was up and down my ankle. It made an odd screeching sound. After he was done, he looked at it and put it back in his pocket.

"Well, it's not broken." He said. "But it is pretty twisted. Need to get that checked out."

"Yeah, um, I can't exactly go to a hospital, now can I? Unless I want to get caught." I said.

"Who said anything about a hospital?" The Doctor said, now grinning as he put his hand on the box.

"Wait, are you saying that that's some hospital on wheels?" I was extremely confused now. It looked way too small to be anything but a shed. It didn't even look like it would hold medical equipment.

"Wellll, it's more than that. Now come on." He said, holding out a hand.

Despite my inner resistance, I took his hand as he helped me up. There was something about him that was odd, no doubt about that, but there was something else. I had started to trust him. I was still very confused as he helped me to the door, and then pulled a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and helped me inside, where I forgot about my pain for a second.

"Ho-ly... It's..It's bigger. On the inside." I stuttered, looking around. It was a huge room bathed in a tealish light. There was what appeared to be a console in the middle of the room with all sorts of buttons and levers and a monitor. There was also a chair. "What? What is this place?" I asked in amazement.

"It's called the TARDIS." The Doctor said, clearly amused by my expression. "Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Oh, I never got your name."

"It's Cass." I said, still staring around.

My brain started working overtime as I tried to work out what he said. Although, it didn't really take a genius to figure out what it meant. Just a woman who'd been through a year of dealing with aliens and who'd done some research on the computer since there hadn't really been anything else to do. Somehow, in researching about aliens, I'd come across some things about time and space travel. Thinking back at what I'd found and then hearing him say those words, it hit me.

"This is a spaceship that doesn't just travel through space, but time as well and you're not human, are you?" I asked.

"Yup!" He said, cheerfully. "Although, I'm impressed you figured it out. Normally have to tell someone that."

" Well, I had to do something while I was hiding, didn't I? " I asked, still in a little bit of shock. "Never thought I'd be asking this question, but who are you and where are you from?"

" I'm a Time Lord from a planet called Galifrey. It's gone now, though." He said. I definitely saw pain and sadness in his eyes. I was about to ask him what happened, when he clapped his hands.

"Right! Let's go get that ankle fixed!" He said, startling me, as he had me lean on him again.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

" TARDIS medbay. " he said, as he led me down some stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

We continued down a hallway until we stopped at a room that I assumed was the medbay. The Doctor helped me into the room and propped me up on a chair that resembled one that would be in a doctor's office. Actually, the whole room resembled a doctor's office. Or a hospital room. There were pieces of medical equipment around. Most of them I recognized, but there were a few futuristic gadgets. I looked around the room as he rummaged through cabinets until he found what he was looking for, which turned out to be a syringe filled with some blue liquid. I gulped a bit as he came back over.

"Um, isn't there another way to do this, like without a needle?" I asked hesitantly. I really hated needles.

"This is sap from the Mocor tree on the planet Dera. Has the best and fastest healing properties I know of. Plus, this won't hurt a bit." He said, gently lifting up my ankle and inserting the needle. I bit back a scream as the needle pierced the swollen flesh and the liquid entered my ankle.

'Won't hurt a bit!?'" I said, glaring at him as he removed the needle. "That literally felt like the sting of a thousand bees!"

"Alright. So I might have lied a bit. But, it did do its job. Look at your ankle"

I looked down at my ankle in astonishment. The swelling was immediately gone. "Thanks." I said, suddenly feeling really grateful to the man who'd pretty much saved my life and also the only person I'd talked to in a year. A whole year of not being in contact with anyone. I was surprised my voice was even still working. Suddenly, I heard myself let out a long sigh.

"Blimey, that was a long sigh." The Doctor said. "Been holding that in for a long time, I see."

I looked down at my hands. "I guess so. It's been a long year of no contact with anyone and trying to hide myself." I said. "But you probably wouldn't want to hear about it.."

"'Course I would. The TARDIS brought me here for a reason and I think you're just the person I need to tell me what's going on." The Doctor said casually, leaning against the wall and crossing one brown pinstriped leg over the other. "So," He said, fixing me with a look that almost felt like he was looking into my soul. "Why don't you tell me what's been going on."

I hesitated at first, trying to figure out how to tell a complete stranger who I'd just met that night, everything. Suddenly, I found myself spilling everything. How the Mruksas' had come to this town, claiming to be running from their war-torn planet and hoping for a new life here. How they had always been curious about humans and wanted us to teach them about human life. How everyone was a little bit cautious about letting an alien race stay with us, but quickly got over that (except for me) and welcomed them into our town. How my instincts were telling me something was off with this species and tried to warn whoever would listen to me that we shouldn't trust them and how I'd been brushed off with people saying that I should just give them a chance, that that I should learn to trust with my heart and not my head, even though I'd been listening to both my head and my heart and praying about the whole situation and that all three were telling me that they weren't to be trusted and how I was right.

How they'd very quickly acclimated to our lifestyle. How some of them had somehow managed to get jobs at local radio stations or news stations, which led to them taking over the airwaves, subtly at first. Sending small subliminal waves that led to them voting one of the aliens into office as the mayor. How that small act led to bigger brainwashing until everyone was fully brainwashed into serving these monsters. How, at that moment, when everyone was under their control and started dressing and acting and working for them, I knew. I knew that I had to leave this life, but I couldn't get out of the city because these brainwashed people were guarding the town's border so that no one could come in or out. How I'd sent out a text to my friends and family who didn't live her that this might be the last time I could reach them and that I couldn't contact them for fear of being caught. How I'd silently cried, as I saw my parents and younger sister, stoic as they marched to their workstations, and how I'd tried to do everything I could survive for a year.

"And now I just feel like I can't do it anymore." I said, finding myself crying. "I feel like it would just be a better life if I just turned myself in and surrendered to the brainwashing. At least I would have a place to sleep and a job instead of hiding and only coming out at night." I said.

"Ah, well I don't see you doing that anytime soon." The Doctor said.

"How do you figure?" I asked, curious where he was going with this.

"Well, you've already come this far." He said. "You've continued to hide and protect yourself because deep inside you know you've got something to hold onto."

I considered his words. Maybe he was right. Every time I thought about turning myself in, I didn't. That inner voice was telling me to not give up. That despite everything, I had something that gave me a reason to fight. And that inner voice was telling me at that moment to not give up, that thanks to the Doctor showing up, I had something to look towards.

"Hope." I said, softly, looking at his kind face with those ancient and sad that looked like they had seen so much.

The Doctor grinned. "Exactly!" He said excitedly. "That's one of the things that humans carry with you the most. That drive to never give up because you know there's something out there. And you also have something else to help you." He said, seriously.

"What?" I asked.

"Me." He said. "That's why I'm here. To save your city/"

"So what?" I asked "Do you just go around saving people in the universe who are in trouble?"

"Welll, it doesn't always start off like that, but that's how it ends up/" He said.

I felt a wave of relief come over me. Somehow inside of me, I knew that hope was keeping me alive and keeping me from not turning myself in. I knew now that thanks to the Doctor coming when he did, we could defeat them and save this town. For the first time in a year, I felt something come alive and I felt an emotion I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt happy.


	4. Chapter 4

This renewed feeling of hope was a feeling I'd missed. I didn't think I'd ever feel anything than what I'd been feeling. I didn't think that I'd have that feeling of optimism ever again, to be honest. Suddenly, I heard the door to the TARDIS opened and stiffened.

"Oh no! They found me!" I said in a terrified voice, convinced someone had followed me here and found me. "I have to hide!"

I got off the chair and started running. I hadn't even gone that far from it before the Doctor grabbed me gently and sat me back down.

"Whoa there." He said. "No one is coming to get you, I promise. This is the safest place to be in right now."

"But, I heard the door open." I said, still fearful.

"Trust me, the person who came in here isn't going to hurt you. Now, they might hurt me." He said, saying the second part in a mutter.

I looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant by that. I was about to get my answer though, as i heard footsteps.

"Oi, spaceman!" A woman called out in a British accent. She didn't sound very happy.

"In the medbay!" The Doctor called back. "I'm gonna get it now." He muttered again in a defeated voice.

Just then, a woman strode in with a slightly angry expression on her face. She looked to be in her late 30's/ early 40's with shoulder-length red hair. She strode over to us and slapped the Doctor on the arm.

" Ow! What was that for?!" He asked, wincing slightly as he rubbed his arm.

"You told me that you'd only be gone for a little bit. I've been waiting for over an hour!" She said in an exasperated voice.

"Well, I've been kind of busy!" He protested, gesturing to me. I waved shyly. "I found her leaning against the TARDIS with a twisted ankle. She was running from someone and tripped. I had to help her."

He explained what I had told him and what he had found out before he met me. The woman sighed, all traces of anger vanishing from her face. She looked me up and down, probably noting how scared I still looked despite being rescued and unkempt I looked. "I'm Donna." She introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"Cass. Cass Newman." I said.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Donna asked, kindly.

I nodded my head. "You have no idea." I said, quietly. "I've been hiding for so long and making sure I wouldn't get myself caught. The only time I've seen people is when I've been peeking out somewhere. I've had no contact with the outside world for over a year, except for the occasional texts to my other friends and family out of state to let them know I'm still living. I don't know what I'd do if the Doctor hadn't found me."

Donna made a small "tch" sound and came over to hug me. I stiffened for a second, but then melted into the hug. I hadn't been hugged like this in over a year. It felt amazing to have the touch of someone again.

It almost felt like my mom was hugging me. Not in the sense that she could be my mother. With me being in my late 20's, she wouldn't be old enough to be my mom. Plus, from what I had just witnessed, I had a feeling that she wouldn't like it if I said that. But, her hug felt just like my mom's hugs. It felt comforting and gave me a sense of calm as well as somehow reminding me that everything was going to be ok.

I didn't want to let go, but eventually the hug ended. I somehow found myself crying again, embarrassing as that was. I really didn't realize how many emotions I had held in until tonight.

"I, um, thank you." I said, sniffing and wiping my tears away. "That hug felt really good." I said.

"Thought you needed that hug. You look like you did, what with everything happening around you, poor thing." Donna said. She then turned to the Doctor. "It's weird, there was almost no one out there. Almost looked like a ghost town."

"They have a curfew put into place. I'm sure there were a few patrol officers out there though. Not that they need them. It's not like anyone would dare disobey their leaders." I said, bitterly.

""This might be a little bit harder than I realized." The Doctor said seriously. "I was hoping we'd be able to have the cover of night to protect us, but we may have to do this during the day."

"So we can't just do both?" I asked. Well, pleaded really.

"We could, but it might be risky. Very risky, right, Donna?" The Doctor asked.

"Right. It's a huge risk." Donna said.

I quickly caught on to what they were saying. It seemed to me that this was something they did every day. They were used to risking their lives. For saving the planet, I assumed.

For the first time in a long time, I grinned. There was a fire in my soul I hadn't had in a long time and it was reawakening.

"Well, if it's risky, It's a risk I'm willing to take it if means saving my city and turning everyone back to normal." I said in a determined voice.

"Aha! There's that spirit I knew you had in you." The Doctor said.

Suddenly, I felt tired. Both physically and mentally. Granted, I'd been feeling like this ever since the whole thing started. The difference was that before, I'd been running on adrenaline and focused on surviving. I didn't have any time to think about my mental or physical weariness.

But now. Now that I'd met the Doctor and Donna, I felt like I could finally let myself feel this. The question was, though, was would I have to go back to the warehouse? I didn't want to. But I also didn't know if I could sleep here. But, I also didn't want to be rude and ask if I could sleep somewhere here.

Luckily, I didn't have to make the decision for myself. Donna noticed my small yawn. Not to mention the fact that I kept closing my eyes.

"Alright. Come on." She said in a stern voice. "You need some sleep."

"I'm fine!" I protested. "I'm used to not getting enough sleep."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Nope. Not gonna argue with Donna. You definitely need to go to sleep. I'm sure you haven't had enough and I know your species needs it. Now go!" He said.

I sighed. "Ok, but where am I going to sleep?" I asked.

"The TARDIS will build you a room." The Doctor said.

"Come on." Donna said, leading me gently out of the medbay and into a dimly lit corridor.

I followed her down the corridor, looking at all of the doors that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"So, um, are you human?" I asked Donna as we continued down the long hallway.

"'Course I am." She said. "Who else d'you think would be able to keep the Doctor in line?" She winked at me.

I laughed as we finally got to what appeared to be my room. I assumed it was because it was lit up, and it had my name over it.

"How does it know who I am?" I asked, curious.

"The TARDIS is alive. Don't ask how. The Doctor will go on and on about it." Donna said, rolling her eyes good naturally about it. "There should be a bathroom there so you can take a shower. I'm sure you want to." She said.

I took that as her subtle way of saying that I needed one.

"Oh, and it's right next to mine, so if you just need to talk, just knock. Although, I might be a bit grumpy if you try to wake me up in the early morning." Donna said, giving me another hug. "Night."

"Night." I said, touched by her kindness, as I walked into my bedroom.

I was blown away by the sheer size of it. It was bigger than the room in my apartment. Somehow though, it also managed to look like my room. It had the same mint green bedding, as well as the same nightstand and dresser. I was almost homesick looking at it.

The bathroom was also huge. It had a palatial sized tub as well as a shower with my favorite shampoo and conditioner, as well as my favorite scrubs and bath salts. I wondered how the TARDIS knew all of this. As I put my hand on the wall, I felt a hum and also a small tickle in the back of my head. Almost like it was trying to comfort me/

After taking my shower, which truly was one of the best ones I'd had in a long time. I decided to take a bath. I thought I needed one after everything I'd gone through. I poured some lavender bath salts in and stepped in, letting the warm water wash over me. It instantly calmed my mind.

I got out the bath, feeling more like myself than I had in a long time. After drying myself off with the plushiest towel I'd ever felt. I noticed that there was a robe hanging on the door. I slipped it on as I walked out back into the room. I found some PJs in one of the drawers and threw those on.

After getting into the bed, which was extremely soft, I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, which appeared to be mimicking the sky outside. It was the bluest dark blue with stars blinking on and off and the occasional shooting star.

I thought about everything that had happened to me. How my life had gone from just surviving to finally finding a purpose, thanks to the Doctor. He made me see that this town was worth fighting for. I was so grateful to him and Donna for essentially taking me in and making me realize all this. Eventually, my eyes grew very heavy and I fell asleep instantly.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, I bolted up with a gasp. In my half awake state, I had assumed that someone had found me and taken me to the aliens. I wasn't fully awake to comprehend what actually was going on.

"Oh no!" I said in fear. "They've captured me!"

Just then, as I was still trying to figure out how to escape, there was a knock on my door.

"Cass?" A concerned female voice called through the door. "You alright, love?"

I kept quite, grabbing the top of my comforter. Maybe whoever it was, would go away soon and I'd be able to concentrate on getting out of here. I didn't want to be brainwashed, or even possibly killed.

My body tensed as I heard another knock. Suddenly, the door opened slowly. My eyes widened in fear as it opened fully and Donna popped her head in. immediately, the events from last night hit me and my body started to relax.

"Just checkin' on ya." She said. "I could hear you screaming something from my room."

"Yeah." I said, swallowing. "I'm fine. For a second, I thought that they'd found me and had captured me."

Even though I was fine now, my heart was still pounding. I wasn't sure why I was still scared. There wasn't any reason for me to be. The Doctor and Donna had made sure of that, but there was still that small fear that someone (whether it was one of the aliens or one of their brainwashed minions) would find me and take me away.

Donna must have noticed my trepidation, because she walked over and put an arm around my shoulders. It was a comforting feeling.

"Blimey, you've had a tough go of things, haven't you?" She asked sympathetically.

I nodded my head. "Like I said last night. It's been hard for me. I've had to be extra vigilant that no one catches me. I've just been on high alert. Every sound I hear puts me on edge. I'm constantly afraid that they're going to find me and brainwash me."

I looked down at my hand and started to feel myself start cry again. "Not to mention that everyone I love is brainwashed too. Every time I chanced going out during the day, I'd sneak over to see them. And every time I did, my heart would break because they're not them anymore. They're mindless and obedient to someone else."

I stopped for a second to take a breath while Donna kept making small noises of empathy. Honestly, I was glad to tell someone this. Keeping it all in was hurting me more than I knew.

"I can't stand seeing them like this. I can't stand seeing my older sister be a part of the aliens' security team. Every time I went out at night, I risked being caught by her. I know she wouldn't hesitate to turn me in. I don't even know if I could fight her. I can't stand seeing anyone like this. I just need to have my city back."

I finally stopped talking and turned to look at Donna, who was looking at me with such compassion that I felt like I could start crying again. "Anyways, I'm sorry to burden you with this. I just needed someone to talk to."

"Well I'd expect you would have a lot to say after keeping all of that in and not being able to talk to anyone about that." Donna said. "But the good thing is that you're still toughing this out. Plus, I think that the only reason you haven't turned yourself in or given up is because somewhere deep inside, you know that you'll get through this and that everything will get back to normal."

I smiled a little. "That's pretty much what the Doctor told me last night." I said.

"The Doctor may be a bit dense at times, but trust me when I tell you that he'll do everything in his power to stop them and save your town." Donna said seriously.

"Ah, heard my name there." The Doctor said, grinning as he stood in the doorway. He looked wide awake and was already dressed in his pinstriped suit.

"Oi, you shoo." Donna said, giving him a slight glare. "We're having a girl's moment."

"Alright. Alright. I'm going." He said, putting his hands up. "Meet me in the console room when you're finished." He walked away with his hands in his pockets, whistling.

"Anyways." Donna started, shaking her head. "You've just gotta keep up that hope. It'll get better soon." She said, kindly. "Now, why don't you get dressed. I suspect the Doctor's gonna get antsy soon."

I laughed as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. After getting out of the bed, I walked over to the closet and managed to put together an outfit. After dressing, I walked out of the room.

While looking for the console room, I got lost a few times. I managed to find a huge library with one of the biggest fireplaces I'd ever seen, a swimming pool, and what looked to be a garden with all different types of flowers and plants growing there. I wasn't sure how long I'd been, but I finally found myself at the right place.

"Well that took a while." The Doctor commented dryly when I walked in. "Ow!" He said, after Donna had smacked him on the back of the head.

"Well it would've been nice if someone had given me directions." I grumbled. "I got lost about 3 times before I finally found it."

"Well now that you're finally here, we can get started." He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What exactly do you mean by get started?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you figure out how to defeat them?"

"I think I might've." The Doctor replied. He turned to me. "You said they were able to brainwash everyone through sound transmission, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. They were sending some type of subliminal message through the radio waves and TV waves. At least that what it seemed like to me."

"No. That would make absolute sense." The Doctor said thoughtfully. "They would have needed a way to take control of everyone without anyone suspecting. As well as not doing it too quickly."

I nodded my head. That made sense to me. It would have had to be subtle. They were smart, I had to give them that. Smart and calculating. There was one thing, though that I needed answers to and apparently Donna did too, because she voiced the same question that was in my head.

"So then, if that's the case, why wasn't Cass affected?" She asked the Doctor.

"Certainly can't be because I have some type of superhuman ability to resist mind control. I'm not that special." I muttered.

"Well no." He admitted. "You're 100% human." He said. "But that doesn't mean you're not special. See, most humans either completely accept certain notions or ideas with completely blind faith. Or, they're suspicious of anything that's just a little bit out of the realm of possibilities." He paused a bit as I waited for him to continue. "But you. You have that rare ability to have both. You accepted that they were real, but you picked up on the fact that they had a more sinister plan. So that's why you weren't affected." He said.

I sighed. "I just wish I weren't the only human who thought like this. It would've made things a whole lot easier."

"Well, you can dwell about that later." The Doctor said, striding to the door. "Right now, I believe we have a town to save."

He opened the door, only for us to see another man standing there. He looked to be around my age, with chin length sandy blonde hair. I was about to scream i.n fear, but there was something about him that made me stop. His hazel eyes were filled with surprise, as well as almost looking weary He also had the slightly raggedy look I'd had before I'd had a night of uninterrupted sleep.

"Oh, I uh, wasn't expecting anyone in here." He stammered a bit. "I was um, actually planning on resting up against it."

"That seems to be a common theme." The Doctor said meaningfully, looking at me.

"Hey, the only reason I ended up here was because I twisted my ankle and it was the closest thing I could see to lean on." I said, trying to defend myself.

"Wait, you're not affected?" The guy asked me, in surprised.

I shook my head. "Nope." I said.

"I thought I was the only one." He said in relief.

"I thought I was the only person too." I said.

We stood looking at each other for a while. For me, it really was a relief. Sure, it was a good thing I'd run into the Doctor and Donna when I had, because I needed to talk to someone, but they hadn't been dealing with a year of not talking to anyone. Neither of them had been the one who had thought they were the only one who was thinking clearly. Who was depressed because she thought she was alone.

Until now. I somehow felt a connection to him. Maybe it was because we were the only two who hadn't been affected. Maybe it was something deeper than that. Either way, I wasn't alone.

"So uh, what's your name?" He asked.

"Cass." I said. "Cass Newman."

"Well, Cass Newman. It's really great to meet you." He said. "I'm Jake Martin."

"Nice to meet you, Jake Martin." I said.

Clearly, after a year of not being social, both of us were a little bit rusty on our people skills. The Doctor cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, I'm glad you two introuced yourselves, but we do need to get going if we're going to stop the Mrusukas." He said, sounding impatient.

Donna elbowed him and gave him a look. "Oi, spaceman." She said. "They just found out that they're the only two in this city not brainwashed. Give them a moment."

The Doctor started to say something, but went silent at the look she was still giving him.

"Alright. Fine." He said in defeat. "But we do need to hurry."

"You look really familiar, though." Jake said

"I do?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I feel like I've seen you somewhere." He replied.

"Well, I do work at the Lavender cafe." I said. "Or, I should say, did work there."

"That's where I've seen you!" He said. "You make a mean Chai tea latte."

I blushed. "Thanks." I sobered up. "I miss making drinks." I said.

"I miss designing buildings." He said in a nostalgic tone. "But I'm glad I found another survivor." He smiled at me.

"Me too." I said. "I've gone through a year in hiding and not talking to anyone until I met these two." I said, pointing to the Doctor and Donna.

"Wait, you said something eariler about twisting your ankle. It looks fine to me." He said, looking down at both of my ankles.

"Yeah, Um that's actually because he healed it." I pointed to the Doctor.

"How could he have fixed it that quickly?" Jake asked, confused.

"Um, well he actually gave me a shot of some type of sap from um, another planet." I said, awkwardly.

Jake's eyes went wide in surprise. "Wait, you mean to tell me that he healed you with something from another planet?" I nodded. "So does that mean that he's not human either?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"That would be correct." I said. "But he's on our side. He actually has a plan to stop the aliens.' I said.

"Right, and in order to put this plan into action, we actually have to go do it." The Doctor said, sounding impatient again.

"Ok, Ok. We're going." I grumbled. Jake still looked confused. "Don't worry. I'll explain on the way." I said as we started walking.

Donna just sighed and rolled her eyes. Clearly, she was used to the Doctor's impatient nature.


End file.
